Making it Through
by kylieskatz22
Summary: This is a sequel to "A True Friend When Nothing Else Matters" so read that first, otherwise stuff won't make sense. Alex and Riker have relationship problems. Alex wants to try to fix it before her whole summer is ruined.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

 **The First Day of Summer Vacation…**

 **Alex POV**

Things were going great, with Riker and I that is… Well actually… It wasn't anymore…

I laid in bed trying to remember everything that had happened leading up to today, starting with the first incident. Riker and had had multiple fights. I honestly didn't know how my life could get any worse. But I had to find some way to save my summer.

 **A Few Days Earlier…**

 **Alex POV**

Everything else was awful. Even though my dad "approved" Riker as my boyfriend, I knew he pretty much hated him. Just as I thought he would, he restricted the time I could see Riker. It was killing me. I barely saw Riker anymore. Riker was busy with band stuff, and my dad gave me specific times I could and couldn't leave the house. Our schedules just didn't really go together all too well. And I was too scared to sneak in and out of my window anymore. After we had gotten caught last time, I wasn't risking it again. I was reaching my limit, and I just couldn't do this anymore. I called Riker. The only problem with that, was he didn't pick up! So I texted him instead.

"Hey Riker. It's Alex. We need to talk about our relationship. This isn't working for me anymore. Tell me when you're free, and we can work something out. ~ A"

About an hour later, I finally received a reply.

"What are you talking about!?" Riker texted.

"When are you free?"

"7:00 – 7:15 and 8:30 – 8:45."

"That doesn't work for me."

"Well what do we do then?"

"What we used to do. We use the window."

"Alex if we get caught, your dad will kill me."

"That's why we're going to have to be careful."

"Ok, what time do you want me to come over?"

"What's the earliest you can?"

"Midnight."

"Midnight!?"

"Yeah. We're trying to record some tracks right now. I have to go. I'll see you later."

Ugh. It was only about 6:00 now… I'd be waiting 6 more hours. Well I can't leave, but my dad never said anything about having someone over. Well except Riker. He wasn't allowed in our house. But Katelyn was. And that's who I called.

10 minutes later, Katelyn arrived at my house.

"Hey Alex. What did you want to talk about?" Katelyn asked, walking into my bedroom.

"I think I'm going to have to break up with Riker."

"Nooo! You guys are adorable together!"

"I know…"

"So why then? Did he do something?"

"No… Well… My dad restricts the time I can leave the house since he knows I want to see Riker. And Riker has a busy schedule now because they're recording an album. I barely get to see him. It's just not working anymore."

"Did you tell him yet?"

"I haven't been able to! And I wasn't going to do it in a text! He's actually sneaking through my window at midnight so we can talk."

"You're risking _that_ again?"

"What choice do I have? It's the only way we're going to get to talk for as long as we need to."

"Alex, he's going to be heart broken."

"Well do you know how I feel now? Our relationship feels like a long distance one because I never see him anymore! He used to try to make time for me, but he doesn't anymore. I try texting and calling him every day, and only if I'm lucky, I'll get a response back."

"Ok, I see now…"

"It's killing me inside to have to break up with him, but I can't live like this either! I feel like he just doesn't really care about me anymore."

"Of course he still cares about you! Are you crazy!?"

"Then why haven't we talked face to face in almost 2 weeks!? Why doesn't he text me every day? Why doesn't he call me anymore? Why doesn't he-"

"Ok enough already. It might seem like he doesn't care, but I'm positive he does. Don't you remember everything he went through to finally get you as his girlfriend?"

"Well yeah. But that was a while ago. Feelings change."

"Alex-"

"No. You know what? I'll find out tonight. Well, _if_ he even shows up…"

"He'll be here."

"Yeah we'll see."

 **Midnight…**

 **Riker POV**

"Rocky, I have to go."

"What do you mean you have to go?"

"I have to leave. You said we'd be done by midnight. I have to be somewhere."

"You can't leave yet. We're not finished with this song. It's your part that needs to be fixed."

Alex is going to kill me.

"Can't we just finished it in the morning?"

"It'll be harder if we wait until the morning. We'll have to listen to it again a few times and stuff. Come on, let's just finish it now. We're so close."

"Are you sure I can't-"

"Riker no! Just wait until it's finished!"

 **Alex POV**

12:20, and he's still not here. Why did I even think there was a chance of him showing up? I looked at the clock. It was getting later and later, and Riker still wasn't here. He hadn't even texted me saying anything! 12:30… 12:45… 1:00… I'm going to bed.

I got in bed, and soon fell asleep to the sound of my dad snoring loudly.

 **Riker POV**

"Can I go now!?"

"Yeah we're done."

I ran out of the recording studio in the pouring rain, got in my car, and sped home. By the time I got there, it was almost 2:00. I literally jumped out of my car and sprinted across the street to Alex's window. She had left it open, so I jumped, and pulled myself through. Alex was sleeping. Ugh! I'd messed up big time! I was 2 hours late! Why didn't I text her!? Well… Better late than never I guess… I gently shook Alex, and she woke up.

"Riker?"

"Alex. I'm _so_ sorry I was late!"

"What time is it?"

"2:00."

"You're 2 hours late!?"

"Yeah, I got stuck at the recording studio."

"Why didn't you just text me?"

"I thought you'd be mad."

"I am mad!"

"See?"

"I would've been less mad if you'd have texted me though!"

"Sorry. So what is it you wanted to talk about?"

"Our relationship."

"Oh… Right…"

" _This_ isn't working for me anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"I never see you anymore! And you barely call or text me back! I just can't do this anymore."

"Alex-"

"Riker, I really can't. I don't feel like you really care about me anymore. If you cared, you'd make time."

"Alex you can't break up with me. I love you."

"Then why don't you treat me like you love me?"

"I have a busy life! What do you want me to do?"

"Make some time to see your girlfriend which you're so desperate to keep!"

I sighed. She was right. I didn't really make time for her anymore. But I was busy!

"Riker. We need to break up."

The words seemed to echo in my mind like I was in a dream. No, not a dream, a nightmare.

"Riker?"

"Alex, please don't do this."

"Riker I'm not putting up with this anymore. I can't."

"Wait. What if your dad thought we broke up? He would let you out of the house more right?"

"Yeah I guess. Why?"

"Because if you told him we broke up, you'd have more time you could come see me, and then we wouldn't have to break up!"

"Riker I don't know-"

"Come on! You have to at least try it! Then we'll both be happy. You'll still be my girlfriend, and you'll be able to see me more often."

"Well… I guess… But that's a little risky don't you think? If my dad ever found out, he'd kill you."

"We were risky before."

"That was different. My parents were at some hospital with my grandfather. And you weren't so busy!"

"Can't you just give this a try? Please!?"

"Ugh Riker! Why do you make this so hard!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Riker POV**

"Ugh! Why do you make this so hard!?" Alex said.

"Because I love you!"

"Fine. In the morning, I'll tell my dad I broke up with you."

"Make it believable."

"I will."

Alex yawned, and I realized it was pretty late.

"Well I guess I'll let you go back to sleep now…"

"Ok. I'll see you tomorrow. Unless you're busy all day like usual…"

"No! Tomorrow I actually don't have much to do. We can spend the whole day together."

"Ok."

"Ha! I knew you'd be here!"

I turned and saw Rocky standing at Alex's window.

"Shhh! If you wake up her parents, they'll kill me! What are you doing here Rocky?"

"I was wondering where you needed to be so desperately. I thought you'd be at Alex's, so when I pulled in and saw her window open, and thought I'd see for myself."

"So you're spying on us?"

"No. You know I'm here, so it's not technically spying."

"Ok, well I was actually just about to leave, so Alex, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Ok. See you tomorrow."

I gave Alex a hug before climbing out the window. Rocky waited for me so I didn't have to walk home alone in the rain. He'd brought an umbrella.

 **The Next Day…**

 **Riker POV**

"So what are you doing today?" Rocky asked me.

"Uh well Alex is breaking up with me, so when she texts me that she can leave, we're probably going to go somewhere like out to lunch or something."

"Wait. What?"

"What don't you understand?"

"She's breaking up with you, and then you're taking her out to lunch?"

"Oh. We're not really breaking up. Alex is just pretending to in front of her dad so he'll let her out of the house. He doesn't like her dating me, so he has her locked up in there all the time."

"So you're lying to her father?"

"Well not exactly-"

"But that's what you're doing."

"So is Alex!"

"That still doesn't make it ok. If Alex jumped off a cliff, would that make it ok for you to do the same?"

"Well no, but-"

"You shouldn't be doing this."

"Whoa whoa whoa. Since when are you Mr. follows the rules?"

"Riker-"

"You said you were fine with me dating her!"

"I am! I just think that if you see her more often, it's going to take away from our band time."

"I won't let it. It'll be fine."

My phone buzzed in my pocket, and it was Alex saying she would meet me down at the beach in 5 minutes.

"I have to go. I'm meeting Alex."

"Where?"

"Down at the beach."

"Dude. It's storming out."

"So what? I love her, and if that's where she wants to meet, that's where I'm going. But I might put a swim suit on first so it's ok if I end up getting soaked."

"Uh huh. You do that. But don't come crying to me when Alex's father wants to murder you!"

I turned to go up the stairs and change. Once I was finished, I headed down to the beach in the pouring rain, and I mean _pouring_!

I was just about at the bottom of the hill when my foot slipped. I fell backwards into a giant mud puddle, and slid the rest of the way down the hill to the beach, screaming in the process.

"Riker!?"

Alex came running over to me from the docks.

"Are you ok?"

"Ugh, yeah."

"You're covered in mud!" Alex said, laughing.

I looked down. I was soaked.

"So did you tell your dad?"

"Yeah. I put on a whole show on how I was heartbroken and devastated, and how could Riker do this to me. He totally bought it. I spent a few hours in my room, pretending to be upset and stuff. After lunch, I came out to get something to eat. I asked my dad if I could go sit on the docks. He told me I could do whatever I wanted, but I better not track mud into the house. I'm finally free!"

"Cool. Can you help me up now?"

Alex laughed.

"Yeah, sure."

I grabbed Alex's hand, and got up.

"Oh my gosh. You're so muddy."

"Well now you are too."

"What!?"

I picked Alex up, and spun her around a few times.

"Ugh Riker!"

"You're wearing a swim suit! You're fine, just go jump in the lake."

"Come here. Follow me."

I followed Alex down the first dock.

"Let's jump."

"Alex, don't you remember what happened to me?"

"Your stomach?"

"Yeah."

"Oh come on! If you really can't get back up, we can just swim back to the beach."

"That's like 300 feet away!"

"So?"

"I can't swim that far!"

"Ugh! You need to learn some life skills Riker! So you can have fun in life!"

"I _can_ swim! Just not very far!"

"300 feet is not that far."

"Yes it is!"

"Well then you need to learn how to swim better."

"When?"

"How about now."

"AHH!"

Alex pushed me off the end of the dock, and jumped in next to me. What happened to the Alex that was always so careful around me? What happened to the Alex that would never even think of an idea like this?

"Riker, let go of the dock."

"What?"

"Let go of the dock. We're going to swim to the beach, and prove to you that you _can_ do it."

"Alex, I _know_ I can't make it that far."

"Have you ever tried?"

"No, but-"

"Well today's the day."

"Alex-"

"Come _on_ Riker."

"Alex I can't make it."

"You'll never know if you don't try."

"This isn't safe!"

"I'll be right here. Don't you trust me?"

Well I did, but now she's different.

"Alex. The bass player from the band R5 can't die from a tragic swimming accident."

"Well I'm not helping you get back on the dock, so you can either swim in with me now, or cling to the dock all night. It's your choice."

"Alex wait. Can we talk about this for a minute?"

"Why?"

"What… happened to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"You're…"

"Not the same girl you fell in love with?"

"What? No. I just mean you're different. A month ago, you would've never gotten this idea."

"Well a lot can happen in a month. A lot can change, especially feelings."

"Whoa Alex. What's _this_ about!?"

"It's about you hurting me!"

"What!?"

"Ever since we got my dad's approval, you've been so busy with all your music stuff. My schedule's been crazy too because of my dad and everything. I understand the tight schedules. But it just didn't seem like you cared about me. I texted you every single day Riker! Every day! And guess what? I was _lucky_ , I was _lucky_ if you responded! I just feel like you don't love me anymore! I'm hurt, and upset, and-"

"Alex, stop. You know that I love you. Do you know how hard I fought to get you as my girlfriend last month?"

"Yeah exactly! Last month! What have you done for me _this_ month! NOTHING! You've been too busy doing who knows what! You know how long it takes to send a text? 5 seconds! Was I really not worth 5 seconds of your time!?"

"I've just been really busy! I've had a ton of stuff on my mind! It was hard to remember!"

"Hard to remember your girlfriend!?"

"Alex, it's not like that."

"Well what is it then?"

"I don't know… I messed up!"

"Got that right!"

"What can I do? What can I do to fix this?"

"There's nothing you can do Riker."

"Well why didn't you tell me how you were feeling sooner?"

"Why didn't you answer my texts sooner?"

"It really is all my fault…"

"Yeah! It is!"

"I'm so sorry Alex!"

"Yeah, so am I, for thinking this could ever work! Even the first time you asked me out! I wasn't sure it was going to work, but I gave you _multiple_ chances anyway!"

I had no words anymore… It was still storming, and we were still in the water by the dock. It was a gloomy day, perfect for this awful conversation.

"Alex can you please just help me get up on the dock? We can talk more about this after we get out."

"Riker, you don't know how mad I am at you right now. I'm not helping you get out, but I'll swim to the beach with you."

"Alex."

"Riker, I'm swimming in _now_. Either you're coming or you're not. If you're coming, I'll swim next to you and make sure nothing happens. If you're not coming, have fun figuring out how you're getting out. What's your choice?"

"I'll… go with you…"

"Ok, well then let go of the dock and let's go."

I let my hands drop off the edge of the dock, and I started swimming for the shore. After only a minute, I had barely gotten anywhere, and I was getting tired already. I don't know how Alex did this all the time. I slowly kept swimming forward.

"Alex. I'm getting tired," I said, out of breath.

"We're almost halfway there. Keep going. You're doing awesome."

I kept swimming, but after another minute, I knew I wasn't making it to the shore.

"Alex! I can't do it!" I said, slowly sinking lower and lower into the water.

Alex, only a few feet away from me, grabbed my arm, and kept me afloat.

"Yes you can Riker. Just rest for a minute. Do you know how to float?"

"Do I know how to what!?"

"Ok, guess not. Here, I'll just hold you up for a minute, and then we'll keep going."

Alex slipped her hands under my arms, and somehow, kept me above the surface for a few minutes.

"Ready to keep going yet?"

"I guess so."

"Alright let's go."

Alex released me, and I continued toward the beach. I was only about 50 feet away now. But I decided, screw the beach, the raft is closer.

"Alex I'm exhausted."

"We're almost there. You can make it."

I finally reached the raft, and was barely able to pull myself up. I flopped over on my back, and started coughing.

"You couldn't make it 20 more feet?"

"No! I couldn't!"

"Well your swimming skills aren't as bad as I thought, so that's good at least."

"You know Alex, I'm _really_ confused right now. Nothing makes sense anymore!"

"What are you talking about?"

"One minute you're screaming at me because of who knows what. The next minute, you're saving me from drowning or complimenting me on how I'm not as bad a swimmer as you thought! I just don't get it! Do you hate me or not!?"

"I don't hate you. I'm just extremely mad at you, but I still love you, and that's really not a good combination!"

"Thanks for saving my life at least."

"Well thanks for trusting me and trying to swim. But see? I told you you'd be fine."

"Almost drowning?"

"But you didn't!"

"Sometimes I can't imagine my life without you, and other times, I can't believe I can stand life _with_ you!"

"So you _don't_ care about me then!"

"Alex I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

It was still pouring out. It seemed to be getting darker every minute. I was still laying on my back on the raft. Alex was silently staring at the shore. I knew she was really mad at me. I was starting to get worried she'd jump in the water, and leave me out here.

"Alex… What's happening to us?"

"I really don't know. But during these past few weeks, you _really_ hurt me."

"So what can I do?"

"I don't know Riker."

"But I love you."

"Riker I can't talk about this anymore. Maybe we can talk about this again later, but right now, I just can't anymore."

"Wait. Are you breaking up with me then?"

"I honestly don't know what we are right now. Obviously you love me, but I don't think a boyfriend _or_ a friend would treat someone the way _you_ treated _me_. So… I don't know. But, we should probably swim in. It looks like the storm's going to get worse. We don't want it to start thundering while we're out here."

I nodded slowly, and got up. I slid of the edge of the raft and followed Alex to the shore.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **Present Day…**

 **Alex POV**

I was still lying in bed thinking about the past few days. The incident at the beach was what had started everything.

I figured I should get up, since it was almost lunch time, and staying in bed all day wasn't getting me anywhere. I almost crashed into my dad when I entered the kitchen.

"Alex you should be more careful! Watch where you're going!" My dad snapped at me.

"Sorry dad…"

I continued into the kitchen to grab something to eat. I opened the fridge, and the first thing I saw was pizza, which made me think of the next incident that happened between Riker and I. It happened the day after our fight at the beach.

 **A Few Days Earlier…**

 **Alex POV**

Riker had be completely careless and randomly shown up at my house wanting to talk. Luckily for him, my parents had gone down to the beach to go on their boat.

"Riker! What are you doing here? And what happened to knocking on someone's door when you want to come in?"

"Alex, I couldn't wait any longer. After what happened yesterday, that's been the only thing on my mind. I really don't want to break up. I'd miss you way too much."

I sighed.

"Ok… Well there's still more we need to talk about. Oh, hold on. I need to take this pizza out of the oven."

I carefully took out the pizza and set it down on top of the stove to let it cool.

"You made pizza?"

"Yeah…?"

"Looks good…"

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"YES!"

Of course he would…

"So do you want to talk about everything while we wait for the pizza to cool?" Riker asked.

"Uh yeah, I guess…"

I sat down at the kitchen table across from Riker.

"So, first, is there any possible chance that you'll still be my girlfriend?"

"Well, I guess there's a chance-"

"GOOD! Ok, now what exactly was it I did that made you upset?"

"I told you yesterday! You hardly ever texted me back! I live right across the street from you. It's literally 100 feet away! Even if I could've seen you for 5 minutes, it would've been better than nothing!"

"Alex, I'm sorry!"

"Ugh! Stop saying you're sorry!"

"But I am!"

"Ugh Riker!"

Riker looked back at me with his hazel eyes. His cuteness was definitely not making this any easier.

"Alex, look. I'm really sorry for barely talking to you and everything. I made a mistake. Please just forgive me."

"You made the same mistake every single day for weeks, Riker."

"I know. I was really busy though, and I know that's no excuse, and I'm really, truly, sorry. But I promise I'll never do anything like that ever again if you'll still be my girlfriend."

"Riker, after weeks of getting no replies, it's going to take a lot more than just an apology. Look, I can't talk about this any longer. Having to relive the pain I went through is really hard. I just can't talk about this anymore today. I think you should go home."

"Ok…"

"Thank you for understanding."

"Wait. Can I have some pizza first?"

"Riker."

"Please!?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Fine."

 **Present Day…**

 **Alex POV**

Ugh. Why did I have to be in love with him? If I wasn't, this would be so much easier. I could just break up with him, and never see him again, and that would be the end of that. But no. He just _had_ to be adorable…

After I finished my lunch, I decided to walk down to the beach. It was my first day of summer vacation, and I wanted to be at the beach. I didn't feel like swimming. I just wanted to walk on the sand and feel the cool breeze there always was.

I walked out the front door, and hurried down the road until I was past Riker's house. I really didn't want him to see me leaving my house, and then follow me. It was my first day of summer vacation, and I really didn't need it to be ruined.

Once I had gotten further down the road, I came to the bend where you could finally see the lake. Luckily, it was empty. No people. Not only did I not want to see Riker, but I didn't want to see his siblings or Ellington either. Riker had probably told them about everything, and I don't need to be questioned about it. It wasn't their business anyway.

After walking along the beach for a few minutes, I sat down in one of the chairs, and closed my eyes. I could feel the warm sun on my face. I felt really good. I eventually fell asleep…

 **Riker POV**

"No, I don't know what I'm going to do! She hates me!"

"Wait. Riker, slow down. What are you talking about?" Rydel asked me.

"Alex hates me."

"Why would she hate you?"

"Well, a few days ago, I kind of… threw her in the lake."

"Riker, you what!?"

"I… threw her in the lake…"

"Why would you do something like that!?"

"Well…"

 **A Few Days Earlier…**

 **Riker POV**

"Alex wait!"

"No! Riker, I don't want to talk about this anymore. I need some space!"

"Alex! Wait! Please!"

I chased Alex all the way down to the beach and out to one of the docks. She suddenly turned around in the middle of the dock, and I almost crashed into her.

"Why are you still following me? You obviously don't trust me, and I don't want to talk about this anymore!"

"When I said I didn't trust you, I didn't mean it like that!"

"Then how _did_ you mean it?"

"I don't know, but not like that!"

"Riker, I know you don't trust me anymore. You can't just take back what you said and expect me to believe you. I really think we shouldn't get back together, Riker. Please can you just understand that?"

UGH stop breaking my heart!

"Alex, I trust you, I promise!"

"Ugh, I'm going home."

"Alex wait!"

"I've waited long enough!"

That's when it happened. Something in my brain went crazy. I picked Alex up, and jumped off the dock with her, all while she was screaming loudly right next to my ear.

"RIKER! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!? I'm not even wearing a swim suit! I'M SOAKING WET!"

"I needed you to believe me."

"What are you talking about!? You think throwing me in the lake will make me think you trust me!? What is wrong with your brain!?"

"No. I'm going to swim in to the shore with you. Just like the other day. I trust you. You won't let anything happen to me. Come on. Let's go."

"Riker-"

"No Alex. I keep making stupid mistakes. I need to fix them all, and then maybe I'll have a chance with you. But this is how I can prove to you that I trust you."

"You know what? Fine. I'll swim to the shore. But no stopping. No breaks. No going to the raft. We go straight from here, to the shore. Got it? And then when we get back, I'm going home. Don't you dare follow me."

"Ok. Got it."

"Ok. Let's go."

I pushed off as hard as I possibly could from the dock to get a head start. I needed to conserve my energy somehow if I wanted to make it to the shore. I tried cupping my hands like Alex had shown me. Surprisingly, it helped a lot. I went farther and faster. But by the time I was about 50 feet away, I was practically dying.

"Alex, I know you said no stopping, but what if I can't make it?"

I was barely able to get the words out, I was so tired.

It was almost like she ignored me. Oh who was I kidding? She _was_ ignoring me.

"Alex!"

I was starting to get really annoyed now. The anger seemed to make me stronger though, and I just barely made it. I didn't even have enough energy to get out of the water. I laid on the ground with my head on the wet sand, and the lower half of my body still in the lake. My arms were outstretched on the sand. I couldn't believe I had made it. Just barely though.

By the time I had enough energy to even look up from where I was laying, I noticed Alex was gone. She must have gone back to her house. I wiped some hair out of my face, forgetting my hand was covered in sand. Whatever. My hair was already sandy. Ugh. I must look like such a mess. And I don't think I helped the situation either…

 **Present Day…**

 **Riker POV**

"I messed up again. How do I fix things?" I asked Rydel.

"Riker, I really don't know. You can try talking to Alex again, but I'm not sure there's anything you _can_ do. Sometimes, you can't fix things."

"I really hope that's not true for us."

"Well good luck."

"Thanks. I'll need it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Present Day…**

 **Alex POV**

"Alex? Alex wake up!"

"Hmm?"

I opened my eyes to find Riker standing in front of me. Great…

"Alex. Can we talk?"

"Riker it's the first day of my summer vacation. This is supposed to be a fun day."

"I know. But I want to make everything up to you. I need to show you how sorry I am."

"Riker. Not today. Please, just-"

"Alex wait. Please. Please let me make it up to you. Please let me show you that I can be a good boyfriend."

"Are you going to throw me in the lake again?"

"No! But will you let me make it up to you?"

"What do I have to do?"

"Let me pick you up tonight around 7:30. By the end of the night, if you still don't want to be my girlfriend, I'll leave you alone… forever. I know that's risking a lot, but I need to so I can show you how sorry I am, for everything."

I sighed, thinking about it.

"Alex, please! Please say yes!"

"Alright fine."

"Yes! Thank you! You won't regret it."

"I better not."

"You won't! I promise!"

Riker ran up the hill to the road. He probably had stuff to plan and stuff to do. What did he think he could possibly do to make me want to be his girlfriend again? I mean yeah, I still loved him, and he was adorable, but he hurt me. I don't understand how he thought treating me like that was ok.

 **Riker POV**

I flew through the front door of my house, almost crashing into my sister.

"Riker, what's going on!?" Rydel asked.

"I panicked!"

"What?"

"I panicked! I saw Alex, and now I'm picking her up at 7:30, and I have to think of some way to make everything up to her! Otherwise I'll lose her forever! You _need_ to help me Rydel! What do I do!?"

"Uh… I don't know! Why would you do that!?"

"I told you, I panicked!"

"Uh… Well… You could… Take her out to dinner or something…?"

"I can't just take her out to dinner! I need to do something awesome!"

"Uh… By 7:30 tonight?"

"Yeah. Why? Did you think of something?"

"Well I was going to suggest you write her a song, but I don't think you could write a song before 7:30."

"Probably not…"

"Well… Uh… I don't know!"

"Ugh! Ok, I have to go. I have to figure something out!"

I ran upstairs to my room. Ross was still rooming with me since Rocky was too lazy to switch back.

"Ross! I need serious help!"

"With what?"

"I need to plan the most amazing night for Alex in the history of amazing nights!"

"What night is this for?"

"TONIGHT!"

"Tonight!?"

"Yeah! At 7:30!"

"Riker, you can't plan an amazing night in only 3 hours!"

"I need to! If I don't, I'll lose her forever!"

"Forever? Really Riker?"

"Yes! Seriously! I told her after tonight if she still doesn't want to be my girlfriend, I'll leave her alone forever! I need to plan something! Fast!"

"Ok, I have a few ideas, but I don't know if it'll work."

"Well it's all I've got, so we _have_ to make it work!"

 **Alex POV**

I slowly walked up the road back to my house. I looked at Riker's house as I passed it. I couldn't see anything, but I heard shouting. Whatever… Once I was inside, I went to my room. I only had about 3 hours until he picks me up to do… whatever it is we're doing tonight. Normally I would've taken a shower, gotten all dressed up, done my nails, hair, and makeup. But not today. I put on a pair of shorts since it was getting hot out, and I changed my shirt to match. There. I was ready for tonight. Riker didn't care about me for a month, why should I care about our date tonight?

I sat on my bed and put on Netflix. I wasn't really watching it. I just put it on as background noise. It helped drown out whatever my dad yelled about. I swear, he'd go around the house looking for stuff to criticize. He wouldn't yell at anyone in particular. He'd just announce loudly to the whole house, that there was dust on top of something, or that a picture was crooked, and then he'd go on to finding something else to be upset about. But he'd never fix anything he yelled about. He'd just leave it, and yell about it again another day. I feel like I'm nothing like him. I feel more like my mom, and not at all like my dad. I just don't understand why my mom would marry someone like this.

The time flew by, and before I knew it, it was 7:30. Luckily, my parents had gone into town when Riker came knocking on my door. I left my parents a note saying I was going out with friends, and I'd be back later. Now, off to start an interesting night…

"So are you ready for the best night of your life!?" Riker asked when I answered the door.

"Uh…"

"Come on, let's go."

"Where are we going?"

"It's a secret."

I followed Riker out the door, locking it behind me. He opened the passenger side door for me, so I got in. He got in too, and we drove off. I couldn't help but keep looking over at Riker. He looked really nervous, but really excited at the same time.

"Ok, we're almost there, so I need you to tie this over your eyes. I don't want you to see where we're going."

I tied the scarf, which I assumed was Rydel's, over my eyes. About 5 minutes later, Riker parked somewhere. I was so curious to know where he'd taken me…


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Riker POV**

Please like it! Please like it! Please like it!

"Uh, ok… You can take your blindfold off now…"

"Riker? Where are we?"

"We're at a park."

"Where?"

"That's a secret. I had to pick one far away so you wouldn't have come to it before."

"Why are we at a park?"

"Because the first thing we're doing tonight, is having a moonlight picnic at the top of the area here. There's a trail that leads all the way to the top, and then we can sit under the stars for a while."

I'll admit. I was totally scared of the dark. But I was even more scared of losing Alex forever, so this night needed to be perfect. It didn't matter that I was scared. I had Alex, and that would be enough to keep me calm. I hope…

"Wait, so we're doing more than just _this_ tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Ok…"

"Come on, let's go."

I grabbed my backpack which had everything we needed for our picnic, and then led Alex over to the beginning of the trail.

"Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Ok, well follow me."

At first, the trail was easy to follow. But soon, it was almost pitch black in the woods. I had to take out my flashlight to stay on the trail.

"Are you sure we're going the right way?"

"Yeah. See that tree? It has a blue spot painted on it. That's the trail marker."

"If you say so…"

After about 30 minutes of walking, we finally reached the top. There were fewer trees, and it was mostly all grass. We could see the moon and the stars perfectly.

"Where do you want to sit?"

"Sit? The ground is soaking wet."

"I brought a blanket. Where do you want to sit?"

"I guess over here…"

I took off my backpack, and pulled the blanket out. Alex helped me spread it out and get our picnic set up.

"Isn't it a beautiful night for looking at the stars?" I asked.

"Yeah…"

"Alex, do you think you could at least try to have fun? I mean, you just seem mad."

"I _am_ mad."

"Well I'm trying to make it up to you, so could you please just try to have fun? I have a whole night full of stuff to do together. It won't be any fun if you're mad at me."

"I'll try. But remember. This is your one and only chance. If you blow it-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know! But I'm not going to blow it. This is going to be the greatest night ever! Now come on. Sit down."

Alex sighed and sat down next to me.

 **30 Minutes Later…**

 **Riker POV**

We had practically eaten in complete silence. I needed to do something, and fast. My time was running out, and I don't think I've made any progress.

"Alex?"

"What?"

"I just want you to know that I really am sorry for everything. I shouldn't have treated you like that. I was a horrible boyfriend. Please forgive me! I know you don't think we could ever work out, but I do. And I love you."

Why isn't she saying anything!? Ugh, what if that made it worse!? What if I just ruined everything!? What if she's even more annoyed now that I keep apologizing and saying I want her back!? What if-"

"Riker?"

"Yeah?" I asked, my voice slightly shaking.

"I love you too."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I never stopped. And you're right. I _don't_ think we're going to work out. But I still love you, and I always will."

"So why are you telling me this if you don't think we're going to work out?"

"Riker, you taught me that sometimes, people need to have faith. You've always had faith in our relationship, even when times got really tough. Now I guess it's my turn. I'll give us one more chance."

"Really!? You mean it!?"

"Yeah."

"Alex I love you _so_ much!" I yelled, hugging her tightly.

"I love you too Riker."


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Alex POV**

"So when do I get to find out what else you've planned?" I asked Riker.

"Right now. We have to walk back, and then I'm taking you somewhere else."

"Wait. I want to look at the stars for a few more minutes."

Riker laid down on the blanket, looking at the stars. I laid down next to him, with my head on his chest. He put his hand on my shoulder, and we just laid there for a while.

"Ok, are you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

I helped Riker put everything back into his backpack, but I think he lost something…

"Riker?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you looking for?"

"The flashlight."

"Did you check your backpack?"

"Yeah, it's not there. I can't find it anywhere. I wish I had a flashlight, so I could find my flashlight."

We looked around for a few minutes, but Riker eventually gave up. I could tell he just wanted to get out of here and back to the safety of his car. I remembered he was afraid of the dark, but that was one of the things that made him so cute!

"Let's just go, Riker. You can buy another flashlight."

"Ok. But I don't know how we're going to see the trail."

"I'm sure we'll be fine."

Yeah, guess what? We weren't.

 **Riker POV**

"This can't be right," I said, stopping to think for a moment.

"What?"

"I don't think we're on the trail anymore."

"What!?"

"I think we might have gotten lost in the dark."

"We're lost!?"

"Yeah, I think so."

I could barely see Alex close her eyes through the darkness. She looked annoyed, scared, and like she wanted to cry all at the same time.

"We're lost in the woods. Nobody knows we're here. It's nighttime. Could this get any worse!?" Alex shouted, angrily.

"Uh well if you don't have your cell phone, then yes…"

"No I don't have it! Don't you have yours!?"

"No… That's how the situation could be worse…"

"Why don't you have it!?"

"Why don't you have yours?"

"Because I was mad at you and I didn't want to bring it. Now why don't you have yours!?"

"I broke it."

"How?"

"After the second time I swam from the docks to the shore, you went back up to your house. Remember that day?"

"Yeah. And I'm really sorry I didn't help you. I was mad, and really irresponsible. I shouldn't have done that to you. I should've done something when you said you were tired…"

"Well do you remember that day though?"

"Yeah, I just said I did. I left you laying on the beach."

"Sorry I can't think straight. I'm just… having trouble listening… Well later when I went back up to my house, I realized I had probably made the situation worse. So I kind of… threw my phone at the wall…"

"And it broke!?"

"Yeah…"

"Really? How hard did you throw it!?"

"Pretty hard… There's also a hole in the wall now. Just don't tell my dad. Ross put a poster over it to hide it."

"Well how do we get out of here?"

"Uh… I'm not exactly sure… We'll just try to find our way back."

"Riker? Are you scared?"

"Extremely."

"We're going to be alright. We can find our way out."

"I hope so. I just… hate the dark, and the woods, and everything in them."

"We'll be fine. Just don't think about that stuff."

"I don't know how you stay so calm."

"Well, being with you is helping."

 **Later…**

 **Alex POV**

We had been walking for a while now. Even though Riker hadn't said much of anything, I could tell, every minute we were still walking in the woods, he was getting more and more anxious and freaked out. I could feel the tension between us as we walked. Neither one of us wanted to say anything that would push the other over the edge, and make them explode from anxiety. I'll admit, it was getting to me too, now.

"Alex?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you… think we're close?"

"I hope so."

We heard some twigs breaking behind us, so we stopped walking and turned around, not that we'd be able to see anything.

"Did you hear that?" Riker whispered, only inches away from my ear.

"Yeah. It was probably just a deer or something. Let's keep walking," I whispered back.

"But what if it's-"

"Shhh! Don't talk like that. Now come on. Let's go."

"Wait."

"What?"

"Give me your hand."

So Riker and I continued walking, holding hands. Even though I knew the only reason he wanted to hold my hand was because he was scared, I still thought it was sweet and, a good idea too. We could barely see anything, and we wouldn't want to get separated by mistake.

We were still holding hands, but Riker was walking in front of me now, leading the way. He stopped suddenly, and turned around. Being as dark as it was, I didn't notice, and crashed right into him.

"AH! Riker!"

"Sorry."

"What are you doing?"

"Did you hear that?"

"No! I was too busy crashing into you!"

"Well… Ok. Let's just keep going."

So we kept walking. How big was this park anyway?

"Riker?"

"Yeah? Did you hear something?"

"No. I was just wondering if we could take a break for a minute."

"Oh. Yeah sure."

"Aren't you tired?"

"No. There's too much adrenaline in my body."

Riker and I sat down on the ground in the middle of wherever we were. I scooched closer to him until our shoulders were touching.

"Riker! You're shaking!"

"You don't know how terrified I am!"

And… Here is comes. I could tell by the tone of his voice, he'd gone off the edge. He couldn't hold himself together anymore, and he started crying. Not that cute crying either. The kind of crying where you can barely control yourself. You can't speak properly, and you just completely lose it.

"If something happens, like a wild animal shows up, _I_ have to protect you, Alex! I'm scared of the dark, the woods, the animals _in_ the woods, and most importantly, keeping you safe. If something ever happened to you, and it was because I didn't protect you, I could never live with myself!"

"Riker, we're going to be fine. We can't be far, now. Try to calm down."

I found Riker's hand in the dark, and intertwined our fingers. Riker rested his head on my shoulder, trying to calm down a little. I rubbed his back slowly, wishing that this was just a dream. But it wasn't. Riker and I were really lost in the woods of some park, about an hour away from home, without a flashlight, or cellphones. This was one of the worst possible situations we could be in right now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **Riker POV**

"Riker? Are you ready to keep moving yet?"

I sighed. Her shoulder was pretty comfortable.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Ok. Let's go."

Alex pulled me up, and started leading me through the woods.

"Riker! Do you hear that!?"

"No. What!?"

"Cars! We're getting close!"

"Oh, I hear it now!"

Within a few minutes, we had made our way out of the woods, and back into the parking lot with my car. We were both exhausted. I'm pretty sure we both just wanted this night to be over and done with, and try to erase it from our minds forever.

We both got in my car. I locked us in, and just sat there for a minute. My hands were shaking harder now, but I didn't know why. We were out of the woods. We were safe.

"Riker? Are you ok?"

"I guess I'm just… still shaken up…"

"I know. But, can we just get out of here? I don't care if you go park at a gas station, and wait until you calm down a little more. I just want to get away from this place."

"So do I."

I put the key in, and twisted it, but nothing happened. My car wouldn't start!

"What's going on?"

"My car won't start!"

"Riker, what the heck is this place? Where are we?"

"It's called All Hallows Woods."

"You took me to All Hallows Woods!?"

"Yeah…?"

"Riker! There have been so many people that have gone missing in these woods! They're supposedly haunted!"

"I didn't know!"

"And now your car won't start."

"Ok, well I'll agree, that _is_ kind of creepy."

"That's it. I'm calling my parents to come get us."

"Alex you can't! They'll bust us, and then you won't be able to see me anymore! Call one of my siblings instead."

"Wait. I don't have a phone!"

"Oh... Right."

"Riker. This is really freaky. We need to get out of here. Right now."

"Why?"

"I just have a really bad feeling about this. We need to get out of here. Now. Let's go."

As soon as I was out of the car, I took off following Alex down the road, and out of the park. Wow, she can run fast! But I could tell she was serious when she said she had a bad feeling about being here. I felt it too. Luckily, I still had my backpack on, so the only thing I really left was my car. But it didn't really matter anyway. After I got in an accident about a month ago, my car was completely smashed, so my parents bought me this used car that I didn't really like.

"Riker! Come on! Hurry!"

"I'm coming!" I shouted, running faster.

If there was a level above sprinting, I think that's what we were doing.

We finally got to the main road, and Alex decided to go left. It was a good choice, because we came upon a gas station that had a phone outside.

"Riker, I'm calling my parents to come pick us up. They said they went out in town tonight, so they're closer than your siblings."

"Can't we just wait for Rocky or Ross to come get us? It wouldn't be that much longer."

"Riker, it's not safe. We're still pretty close to those woods, and I really just want to go home."

"You're ruining this for us."

"What?"

"We won't ever be able to be together if you do this."

"Don't you want to get to safety!?"

"Fine. Call your stupid parents."

"Excuse me!?"

"Just call them already! It's over! You obviously never wanted to be with me in the first place, and you don't want to be with me _now_ either," I said, shaking my head.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Riker POV**

I watched Alex call her parents on the phone. I was in total disbelief. She just ruined everything! I walked over and sat on a bench close to the edge of the road. After Alex got off the phone, she walked over and sat down next to me.

I looked at her and shook my head before getting up and walking away.

"Riker wait!" Alex shouted, grabbing my arm.

"Why are you doing this Alex? I _want_ to understand, but I don't!"

"Riker, calm down. I didn't tell my parents you were here. I just asked them if they could pick _me_ up."

"So I'm stuck here!?"

"No! I wouldn't do that to you!"

"Well then what's going on?"

"I don't know! Either I'll make up some excuse of how I ran into you, or I'll sneak you in or something! We'll figure something out! But right now, we need to get back to the gas station."

"We're 100 feet away from it. What's the problem?"

"It's dark out! We were just in those woods! What if something followed us here?"

"What do you mean, _something_?"

"I don't know! Nobody does!"

Alex pulled me back to the wall of the gas station.

"Well if you're so concerned, why don't we just go wait inside then?"

"No! I'm not going in there! The cashier guy looks creepy!"

"Well how long until your parents show up?

"I think about 20 minutes."

"Ok. What do we do until then?"

"Think of a plan to get you home."

"Well I like the sneaking me in the car idea."

"Ok, well I think my dad drove the minivan, so, if we do this right, I think we could sneak you in. You might not be able to wear a seatbelt, and you might not sit in a seat, but you'd get a ride home."

"What?"

"When my parents come to pick me up, you'll hide somewhere. I'll have your backpack, and I'll tell my dad I want to put it in the back before I get in. So, he'll unlock the back, you'll get in, I'll close it, then I'll get in, and we'll go home. Easy."

"No! Not easy! I have to ride in the back of a minivan without a seatbelt for an hour until we get home!?"

"Do you want to be stuck here all night?"

"No!"

"Do you want my dad to kill you?"

"No!"

"Well then yes, that's what you're doing!"

"That's not safe!"

"Well neither was being in All Hallows Woods at night without cell phones or flashlights!"

"Yeah… But-"

"Do you want to get home or not?"

"Well yeah-"

"Then this is what we're doing."

"What if your dad crashes?"

"He's not going to crash."

"How do you know that?"

"Because for once in our lives, it's _our_ turn to have something go right for a change."

"You're really risking my life like that?"

"Riker, you'll be fine."

"Alex, I can't do that. I can't risk getting hurt. It's too dangerous. And for a whole hour!? That's crazy. Maybe if it were for 15 minutes, but an hour? No way."

"Fine. Then we're telling my dad."

"Alex-"

"No Riker. I'm not leaving you here. Not near All Hallows Woods at night. I'd rather have to break up with you, and know you're safe at home, then still be with you, but not know if you're alive or dead, or hopelessly wandering around, lost in the woods, possibly being followed by something. Or worse… Some _one_."

"There's nothing else we can do?"

"It's too late anyway. Even if there was something else, I already called my parents. And they're pulling in now."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Alex POV**

"Riker! Hide!"

"What?"

"I just thought of a plan! Hide!"

I ripped the backpack from Riker's shoulders and watched as my parents pulled up in their minivan.

After my dad grumbled about having to pick me up, I told him I needed to put my backpack in the back, so he unlocked it. I motioned for Riker to sneak over.

"Alex, I'm not riding in the back for an hour," Riker whispered.

"I know. You're getting in this way though. As quietly as you possibly can, squeeze between the ceiling and the top of the seats. You'll sit in the backseat and hide," I whispered back.

"Alex, that's a great idea!"

"Shhh! Ok, I'm going to open this, so you'll only have a few seconds, and remember to be quiet!"

"Ok I will."

"Go."

Amazingly, our plan worked! I got in diagonally from Riker. I faked a cough for a few seconds, long enough for Riker to put his seat belt on, and then my dad drove off. My dad didn't even question me about my night. I had told him on the phone that my friends had dropped me off here, and I needed a way to get home. He thought I had been with my friends, therefore, he didn't care about the details.

I looked back at Riker. He had shrunk down against the wall of the car, hiding. Even though it was dark, you could never be too careful. My dad could be unpredictable sometimes.

Riker and I held hands the whole way home. When we finally got home, I practically jumped out of the car. I opened the back and took out Riker's backpack. Riker frantically tried squeezing out between the seats and ceiling. He got stuck somehow, and all of a sudden, came flying out, landing on his back.

"Alex, what was that?" My dad called.

"Nothing. I just banged my backpack against the car."

"Don't go around denting my car!"

"I won't dad. It's fine!"

Riker was obviously in a lot of pain. I knew he had wanted to scream when he landed, but he couldn't give himself away. We were so close!

My dad finally got out of the car and closed his door. He seemed like he was going to walk over to me, so I made Riker crawl under the car to hide.

But my dad didn't end up coming over to me. He went to our house, and yelled at my mom because she had the keys, and she wasn't fast enough at getting them out.

"Alex are you coming?"

"I'll be there in a second."

"Ok, I'll wait right here."

Great. Just great. My dad probably suspected something was up. I pretended to be doing something with the backpack while I was secretly talking softly to Riker.

"Riker, my dad's waiting for me to go in. Let's just talk about everything tomorrow, ok?"

"Yeah…"

"Are you ok?"

"My back really hurts from when I fell. It took everything in me not to scream. It hurts pretty bad."

"Are you going to be ok? I could call Rocky or Ross to come help you get home if you want. I would help you, but my dad's kind of… observing my actions right now…"

"Yeah. Call someone for me would you? My back is just killing me. Did you know you have a rock in your driveway? That's what I fell on."

"Well considering my driveway is just a section of my front yard, I'd kind of expect there to be rocks in it. Ok, I should go. My dad's probably getting suspicious. I'll call someone. Just stay there. I don't want you hurting yourself even more."

"Ok. Bye Alex."

"Bye Riker. I love you."

"Love you too."

I walked up to my house where my dad was angrily waiting.

"What were you doing out there?"

"I was just making sure I had something in my backpack. I thought I'd lost it."

"Well why didn't you do that inside?"

"Well in case I had left it in the car. You didn't have to wait for me if you didn't want to."

"Well I wanted to make sure you weren't going to run across the street to that boy's house."

"Why? We broke up, remember?"

"Yes. I was just making sure you weren't lying to me."

His eyes felt like they were cutting through to my brain, and he could see everything. Luckily he couldn't, but it felt like he was trying to find some answers. I wasn't giving anything away anytime soon though.

"Well let's go inside!" I said, pushing past my dad, and heading to my room.

Once I was in my bedroom, I locked my door, and grabbed my cell phone from my nightstand. I decided to call Ross since Rocky and I weren't exactly best friends.

"Hello?"

"Ross, this is Alex."

"Hey Alex."

"Riker needs help. Like right now."

"What!?"

"No, calm down. I'm pretty sure he's fine. I just want you to help him get home and make sure he's alright. He'll tell you the details, but right now, he's hiding under my dad's minivan. He fell on his back pretty hard, and I just didn't want him to hurt himself even more. I just thought maybe you could help him."

"Yeah. Thanks for letting me know. I'll be right over to get him. Thanks Alex."

"You're welcome. Tell him I love him, ok?"

"I will. Bye Alex."

"Bye."

 **The Next Morning…**

 **Alex POV**

As soon as I woke up, I got up and walked down the hall. Today my parents had to travel to the city for something business related. They had left really early this morning, and wouldn't be back until late. What a great opportunity for me to go check on the guy that just risked a ton for us to be together.

I went across the street, forgetting to change out of my pajamas.

"Alex? What are you doing here?" Rydel asked.

"Is Riker here?"

"Yeah, he's upstairs. I think he's still sleeping. But you can wake him up."

"Ok. Thanks."

I ran up the stairs to Riker's room. I hoped he wouldn't be in too much pain from last night.

"Hey Alex," Ross said from his bed.

"Hey. Your sister said I could wake Riker up. Is that ok?"

"Yeah. Go for it."

"You guys got home alright last night, right?"

"Yeah. He was in a lot of pain, but as soon as he got in bed, he was out."

"Ok."

I sat down on the edge of Riker's bed as I shook his shoulder gently.

"Mmm… mmm… Alex?"

"Yeah. Are you ok?"

"Wha-what time is it?"

"Almost 9:00. Are you ok?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your back."

"Oh. Yeah. It still hurts. What are you doing here? What about your dad?"

"He's in the city. I came over to make sure you were ok."

"Oh. Well did you have breakfast yet?"

"No. When I woke up, I came straight over here."

"Do you want to have breakfast with me?"

"Yeah."

Sleepy Riker was really funny to talk to. I could tell his brain was trying really hard to think straight, but it wasn't doing that good of a job. I walked down the stairs with Riker to the kitchen. Riker didn't really walk though. He more stumbled along. He couldn't stop yawning either.

"Riker?"

"What?"

"Did you look at your back last night?"

"No."

"Well, I think you should."

"Now?"

"Well, we can after breakfast. But there's a spot of blood on the back of your shirt."

"How big is it!?"

"Not too big, but big enough to show that your fall must've _really_ hurt!"

Riker sat down across from me at his kitchen table, yelping slightly when he leaned back in the chair, forgetting about his back. Rydel made us both scrambled eggs, and then left us to eat alone. Riker was more awake now.

"So was your dad suspicious last night?"

"Oh…"

"He was, wasn't he?"

"Well, not exactly. Well… Kind of… He didn't like me going through my backpack for 5 minutes. But he didn't suspect that I was talking to a random boy under his car. The thing he was actually suspicious about, was that I was going to try to sneak over to your house. I guess he thinks we're still dating."

"But just to be clear, we _are_ still dating right?"

"Yes Riker. We're still dating."

"Ok. Good."

We talked a little more about my father's suspicions, and then finished our breakfasts.

"Come on. Let's go take a look at your back," I said, leading Riker back to his bedroom.

Once we were in his room, Riker took his shirt off, and laid face down on his bed. Ross came and stood next to me, examining Riker's back too.

"What does it look like?" Riker asked, mumbling into his pillow.

"Uh… How much does it hurt again?" I asked.

"Pretty bad. If anything touches it, even slightly, it hurts. It feels achy and bruised, and it just plain hurts."

"Well I can see why. In the upper right corner of your back, there's this giant bruise and some blood. I'm assuming that's where you hit the rock."

"Yeah."

"And then underneath that, there's just some other smaller bruises and scratches."

"Do you think I need to go to the hospital and get it looked at?"

"No I don't think so. As much as you're in pain, it doesn't actually look too bad."

"Ok, good. I just need to give it some time to heal then."

Riker got up and put his shirt back on.

"So what are you doing today?" Riker asked me.

"Whatever you're doing."

"Well good, because I'm spending the day at your house, and if you weren't there, that'd be weird," Riker said, laughing.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Riker POV**

We headed over to Alex's after I got dressed. Once we were back, Alex got dressed too, and sat down next to me on the couch.

"So what do you want to do?" Alex asked me.

"I don't know. What time are your parents coming back?"

"Around 10:30 tonight."

"Ok so we can do pretty much whatever then. They won't be back for a while... We could go swimming."

" _You_ want to go swimming?"

"Well you said I was getting better. I swam all the way from the docks to the beach without stopping. I almost died, but I did it."

"I thought you didn't like swimming though."

"I don't really. I've always been scared of the water. But if that's what you want to do, then we can go swimming."

"Riker, you're too nice to me!"

"I love you."

"I know! But you're too nice!"

"Well do you want to go swimming or not?"

"Uh… Well you seem to want to, so, sure."

"I don't _seem_ to want to!"

"You totally do, Riker."

"No I do not!"

"Yes you do! Now come on. Go get your swim suit!"

I ran across the street, changed, and met Alex at her front door.

"Will you at least tell me why you want to go swimming?" Alex asked.

"I don't want to go swimming! I told you that already! I'm going because you want to!"

"Ugh. Let's just go."

It was a beautiful day out. Perfect for swimming. Except the water was ice cold.

"Come on Riker! Let's swim out to the raft!"

"I'm not even in yet!"

"Come on! Hurry up!"

I slowly inched forward into the freezing water. I feel like it gets worse the further up the water gets on your body.

"Riker! Come on!"

Alex was either used to freezing cold water, or she was crazy. Within seconds of getting here, she was underwater. I guess some people are just water people.

"Riker hurry up! I'm going to leave without you if you don't get over here!"

I had my arms wrapped around my body as I kept inching forward. I was freezing! I was almost in up to my shoulders now.

"Ok, I'm here."

"Let's go."

And Alex took off toward the raft. I doggy paddled my way there. By the time I had gotten there, I was exhausted. I climbed up onto the raft, which I soon realized was a bad idea. I was even colder out of the water! The wind made it seem colder! I was sitting there next to Alex with my teeth chattering, shaking, shivering…

"Oh it's not that cold!"

"Yes it is! How are you not freezing!?"

"I don't know. I guess I'm just used to it."

Alex put her arm around me, trying to warm me up, but it wasn't working.

"So, are you going to tell me what else you had planned for last night after the picnic?"

"Nope. It'll remain a secret."

"Why?"

"In case I want to plan something else later."

"Fine…"

"Do you want to swim in? I'm freezing!"

"Sure. Let's go back to my house."

"Ok."

"You're not getting back in with the ladder! Jump!"

"Jump?"

"Yeah!"

"Like into the water?"

"Yeah."

"What if I slip?"

"Here. We'll jump together, and I'll hold your hand. I'll make sure you don't slip."

So we jumped. Me, being me, forgot to plug my nose. I started coughing like crazy when I came up.

"Riker? You ok?"

"Yeah. There's just water up my nose."

"Oh."

We walked back up to Alex's. It felt like my whole body was numb by the time we finally got there. Alex wasn't even the slightest bit cold though!

"Sit down. I'll get you a blanket."

"I'm soaking wet! I'll get the couch all wet."

"I don't care. Sit down. You're freezing."

I figured if I continued arguing, I would eventually end up sitting on the couch, so I didn't say anything else, and just sat down.

"Here," Alex said, wrapping a blanket around me.

"Thanks. Come sit with me."

"Ok."

I wrapped the blanket around both of us, and we both stayed like that for a little while, talking.

"So what else did you want to do?" Alex asked.

"I don't know."

"Well we could go rescue your car. I'll drive you."

"Ok. But not yet. I'm still freezing."

Alex laughed.

"Ok, well I'm going to get dressed."

 **Later…**

 **Riker POV**

"Ok, now remember, when we get there, you jump out, I'll lock my doors, you'll jump in your car, lock the doors, and we drive away as fast as we can, ok?"

"Are you ever going to tell me what's so scary about All Hallows Woods? I take it that there's more to it than just people disappearing. Right?"

"Yeah. I'll tell you later."

Alex pulled up the road to the parking area of the park.

"Riker?"

"Yeah?"

"Where's your car?"


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Alex POV**

"Riker? Do you see your car, because I don't! It's not here! I told you there was something not right about these woods!"

"Well… What do we do?"

"What do we do? There's nothing we _can_ do! If it's gone, it's gone. The end."

"So I don't have a car anymore?"

"Well… Yeah… Unless you want to go back into those woods again."

"My car's in the woods?"

"Yeah."

"How do you know it's in the woods? Why would it be in there? _How_ could it be in there?"

"Look, your car isn't here. I'm not waiting around for something bad to happen, and I'm not talking about this until we're out of here."

I turned around, and drove out of the park.

"When can you tell me about the woods?"

"Later."

"Why not now?"

"Because I don't want to."

"Ok."

I was hoping Riker would just forget about the woods and his questions. He didn't need to know what happened there, and it would only make me more upset with my life.

"Alex? Are you mad at me? I'm sorry I asked about it."

"No. It's fine. I just don't want to talk about it right now."

"Ok."

"Do you want to go somewhere for lunch?"

"Sure."

"Where?"

"I don't know. You pick."

"What kind of food are you in the mood for? Wait. I already know. You want pizza. You _always_ want pizza."

Riker laughed.

"Well… Yeah…"

Riker and I had lunch in a pizzeria a few minutes away from my house.

"So… What else do you want to do before your parents come home?"

"Well… I feel like we always do this, but we could watch a movie."

"Nah… It'd be more fun if it were dark out."

"Ok, then what do you want to do?"

"We could go skateboarding."

"Ok."

 **Later…**

 **Riker POV**

Alex and I had been skateboarding for about 20 minutes, when she fell. Alex tried to brush it off, but her knee was bleeding. A lot.

"Alex, we need to… clean your knee up."

"Riker, I told you. I'm fine. It barely even hurts."

"Please. Let me fix it."

"Like that night when you fixed my wrist?"

I could feel my cheeks heat up.

"Well… It'll obviously be a little different this time…"

"Well yeah. You're wearing clothes instead of a towel."

Now, the blood was starting to drip down her leg.

"Alex, come on. I'll fix it for you."

I took her hand, and led her upstairs to the bathroom. Rydel popped in as I lifted Alex up to sit on the counter.

"Whoa, what happened?" My sister asked.

"I fell skateboarding. But I'm fine."

"That looks pretty bad though!"

"It doesn't even really hurt. Riker's like freaking out about it though."

"Well he cares about you."

"I know."

 **Later…**

 **Alex POV**

"Riker, you need to go home. My parents will be home any minute now. If my dad catches you here, he'll kill you! He thinks we broke up! And remember, I told you he thought we were secretly dating! Not only will he kill you, but he'll kill me too for lying to him!"

"Alex, I don't care what he thinks. I love you, and that's all that matters."

"Well if you love me, you'll go home, so you don't get caught, and I won't get stuck at home every day for hours."

"Kiss me first?"

"Riker they're home! Ugh! You'll have to hide in my closet, and then jump out the window later. And since when do you ever ask me to kiss you?"

I pulled Riker into my room and locked the door before my parents came inside.

"So when is it safe for me to leave?"

"Well you screwed it up! You didn't go home when I told you, and now my parents are home. It's still light out, and my dad might see you walking away from our house. So I don't know when you can leave! You screwed it up!"

"I just want to spend as much time with you as possible. I love you."

"Yeah. I know. But my parents can't catch us. That's really important."

"Hey. You know what we could do? You could go talk to your dad, and I'll jump out the window, and go home. You'll say you're going out with some friends, walk down the road, and then go through the woods to the back of my house. Then we can have dinner together, and then watch a movie after that. How does that sound?"

"Perfect. Just be fast."

 **Later…**

 **Riker POV**

"So what movie do you want to watch?"

"Uh… I don't know…"

Alex and I were in my bedroom, getting ready to watch a movie together. Ross had been nice enough to go play videogames downstairs until our movie was over.

I picked a random movie, put it in, and pressed play. I sat down on my bed next to Alex, and we cuddled together.

 **2 Hours Later…**

 **Riker POV**

"The movie's over, we're not at your house, and we're not in the woods. Will you please tell me what's up with All Hallows Woods now?" I asked.

Alex wouldn't look me in the eyes. Something was up.

"Alex?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"Because it hurts too much."

"What happened?"

"I said, I don't want to talk about it!"

"Please. I'm here for you. It'll be ok. I promise."

"Well…"

"Does it involve someone you know or something?"

"Yeah…"

"Who?"

"My dad."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Riker POV**

"Your dad!? What?"

"Riker. I really don't want to talk about it. Please. Can we just… do something else?"

"You can't leave me hanging like that!"

"Riker. Please don't make me."

I sighed. I could see the hurt in her eyes. Something really bad must've happened…

"Alright. Fine. What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. I'm actually really tired. I should probably go home."

"Aw… Do you have to?"

"I need sleep, Riker. What do you expect?"

"I expect you to stay here with me forever."

Alex smiled. Good. She would be leaving happy, and not upset about whatever happened with her dad.

"So what are you doing tomorrow? My dad's going to be home, so I don't know if I can do anything, but are you free?"

"Uh… I don't know yet. Rocky was supposed to call this guy today, and he was supposed to get a few more recording dates. I don't know when they are yet though."

"Ok. Well text me when you find out. Maybe we can work something out. You know, I really like spending time with you again, Riker. It's like… how things used to be. I like that."

"I like spending time with you too."

"But I mean, it's not just the dating stuff. I enjoy that too, of course, but even if I wasn't dating you, you're just an awesome person, and I'm just glad that I met you."

"You're not planning on breaking up with me are you? And then saying, but we can still be friends…?"

"No, of course not. I'm just saying, it's really nice now that I get to see you again. I missed you."

I gave Alex a hug before she left, and then I went to sleep.

 **The Next Day…**

 **Alex POV**

Luckily for me, my dad got called in to work because something happened apparently. My mom went with him, since they both worked at the same place, the town hall.

I texted Riker asking him if he was free today. Unfortunately, he was busy. They were all going to a recording studio. So… What do I do all day?

Call Katelyn…

And… She was busy too! Why was everyone busy!? I had to resort to my last option. Katelyn's brother, Brenden. Sure he could be annoying sometimes, but he would keep me from boredom!

I called Brenden and invited him to come hang out for the day. He told me he'd be right over.

"Hey Alex."

"Hey Brenden."

"What's up? You and Katelyn normally tell me I'm annoying. Why'd you want me to come over?"

"I don't know. Nobody else was free. They're all busy. I wanted to hang out with someone."

"So instead of your 800 other friends, you chose me?"

"You live right down the road! And you're not _that_ annoying."

"Gee thanks."

"I didn't mean it that way."

"I know. So what do you want to do?"

"Uh… I don't know. I guess we've never really done anything together before… Uh… Do you have any ideas?"

"We could go kayaking or swimming."

"Ok. Which one?"

"Uh… I kind of feel like swimming."

"Ok. Me too."

 **Later…**

 **Alex POV**

Surprisingly, Brenden and I were having a lot of fun. He just understood me like Katelyn did.

We'd been swimming all day. It was really fun. More fun than when I went swimming with Riker, actually. But that was only because Riker couldn't _do_ anything. Brenden was the complete opposite. He was actually making me a little nervous with all the crazy stuff he was doing. He enjoyed jumping, diving, and whatever else he could think of, off the raft.

"I bet I can find a rock down there in one breath."

"Brenden, come on. You need to be careful. I don't want you to drown."

"I'll be fine. Is it a bet?"

"I'm not making any bets! I won't motivate you to do something dangerous!"

"Ugh! Come on! Please? Just once?"

"Fine. How much?"

"5 bucks."

"Fine. Deal."

I watched as Brenden took a running start, and dove into the water. The bottom was probably 15 feet down. I knew it was a stupid bet, and I was going to lose, but I didn't care. It was just nice to hang out with someone who actually liked the water. I just wished Riker was a better swimmer.

"Ha! I got one! You owe me 5 bucks!" Brenden shouted.

"Ok, ok. Fine. But I know you totally set me up for that one!"

"I did not!"

"You did so, and you know it! How hard is it to find a rock down there?"

"Well… Not very hard…"

"Exactly."

"Well what do you want to do now?"

"I don't know."

"Do you want to swim in?"

"Nah. I'm finally all dry. The water's really cold."

"You'll have to get back in it at some point. You can't stay out here on the raft forever."

"I know, I know. BRENDEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

And before I knew it, I was in Brenden's arms, at the edge of the raft.

 **Riker POV**

We had finished recording early today, so I went to see if Alex wanted to hang out. She wasn't home, but her car was in her driveway, so I figured she was down at the beach getting a tan, or over at her friend Katelyn's house. I decided to go check at the beach.

Halfway down the hill to the beach, I saw Alex out at the raft with some boy.

"BRENDEN WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

Alex was in this guy's arms, and he was now standing at the edge of the raft, saying something to her that I couldn't hear.

"NO! I'LL GET WET! BRENDEN PLEASE! JUST PUT ME DOWN!"

The guy, whose name I learned was Brenden, backed up to the other side of the raft slowly.

"BRENDEN NO! DON'T!"

And he took a running start before throwing Alex off the raft, and jumping off too.

"UGH! BRENDEN IT'S FREEZING! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT!?"

"Because I wanted to swim in."

Alex and Brenden finally got to the shore, where I was standing, a little confused. Who was this guy, and why didn't I know who he was? I should know all of Alex's friends. And what's he doing hanging out with her?

"Oh. Hey Riker. What are you doing here?" Alex asked, walking over with Brenden to a picnic table.

"I finished recording early."

"Oh. Cool."

Alex was shivering from the cold now.

"Ugh. I forgot my towel," said Alex.

"Here. Just take my sweatshirt," said Brenden.

"Thanks."

Who is this guy, and why is he giving her his sweatshirt!? That should be me! She's _my_ girlfriend. Right?


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Riker POV**

"Riker, we're going to head back to my house. Maybe I'll see you later," said Alex.

I waved slowly as Alex and Brenden headed up the hill. I don't understand. She complains about not seeing me enough, and when I make time, she's busy with some other friend! But… Were they friends? Or were they more than that?

I walked over to the docks and sat down at the end of the closest one. I let my feet dangle in the water while I contemplated everything that had just happened. What if Alex was dating that guy? Ugh! I just don't know what to think! I didn't want to ask her about it though. I didn't want to seem jealous or anything, but I was so anxious to know what was going on!

"Riker! What are you doing down here?"

I turned around and saw Ellington.

"I don't know. Just thinking…"

"I thought you were going to go hang out with Alex."

"I thought so too."

"What?"

"Never mind."

"Ok. Well, your mom just made lunch, so if you're hungry, you should go home."

"Ok."

 **Alex POV**

"Come on! Pay up! You owe me 5 bucks!"

"Fine," I grumbled, handing Brenden the money.

"Hey, why do you have a box of red hair dye?"

"Oh, I was going to dye the tips of my hair red sometime."

"That's so cool. Let's do it now!"

"Now?"

"Yeah!"

"Uh… Ok."

Brenden and I stood in the bathroom, looking over everything that came in the box of hair dye. Why Brenden wanted to help me dye my hair, I'll never know…

 **Later that night…**

 **Riker POV**

I decided to try talking to Alex again. But I needed to come up with some way to ask her about Brenden without sounding so… jealous.

It was dark now, and even though Alex's house was right across the street, I still took a flashlight anyway. I was about to knock on her door, when it swung open, and Alex slipped out quietly.

"What are you doing here!?" Alex whispered.

"Why are you whispering? And how'd you know I was here?"

"Shhh! My dad's home! Do you want him to hear you!? I saw your flashlight and figured I better get outside before you blow everything with my dad!"

"Well can we talk?"

"Ugh! Go over to my window. We'll just do it that way."

Alex slipped back inside, and I walked over to her window. Alex opened the window, and I climbed through. Now that we weren't in the dark anymore, I could see that the tips of her hair were red.

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Uh… Well I made time for us to hang out today, and you were busy."

"Yeah, I was hanging out with Brenden."

"Why?"

"Because you were busy recording."

"What about Katelyn?"

"She was busy too."

"Well who _is_ Brenden?"

"Why are you asking so many questions? Wait. Are you jealous of me spending time with Brenden instead of you? You're mad because after you came to the beach, we went back to my house instead of hanging out with you, aren't you?"

"I'm not mad!"

"Then you're jealous!?"

"Well…"

"Riker! I can't believe you! Jealous of me and Brenden!?"

"Well you're always saying how you wished I made more time for you, and I did today, and instead, you wanted to hang out with Brenden. He's a guy, and you're my girl, and… And now the ends of your hair are red! What am I supposed to think!?"

"What does my hair have to do with anything? And you think I'm _dating_ him!?"

"Well…"

"Well what, Riker?"

"I don't know. I was just scared."

"I can't believe you. I seriously cannot believe you right now, Riker. That's ridiculous."

"Well how would you like it if you saw me hanging out with another girl?"

"Riker, I would know that _you're_ my boyfriend. And I'm your girlfriend, and whoever that girl is, isn't replacing me. I know you wouldn't do that to me, and I just can't believe you think I would do that to you!"

"I'm sorry! I made a mistake!"

"Well you seem to be making an awful lot lately."

Well I don't have anything to say back to _that_ …

"If you honestly think I would do that, Riker, then you don't know me at all! But then again, after all this, maybe I _will_ do something like that."

"Alex-"

"Just go, Riker. Just go."

 **2:00 AM**

 **Riker POV**

I still couldn't sleep. I'd been lying in bed for hours. There were so many thoughts just floating around in my head. Who was Brenden? Why was her hair red? What did they do all afternoon? What happened with her dad and All Hallows Woods? And most importantly, was she serious about doing something? Was she really going to leave me for someone else? I just don't know anymore…


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **The Next Day…**

 **Alex POV**

What a beautiful day… To be sick… I woke up feeling awful. It felt like I had gallons of snot compressed into my head. I could barely breathe, my head hurt, and I had a sore throat. I've never gotten sick in the summer before. I guess there's a first time for everything…

My parents were gone already. They were at the town hall at work. As I got up to get some medication, I groaned from the intense pain in my head.

After about 30 minutes of sitting still and doing nothing, I started to feel slightly better from the pills I had taken. I still felt pretty bad though. I made myself a bagel for breakfast, and sat down in the kitchen to eat it.

Today was going to be a bad day… But not just because I got sick…

 **Riker POV**

"Pass me the orange juice!" Rocky said, louder than he should have since I was barely awake.

"Shhh! Rocky! I'm 2 feet away from you!" I shouted back.

"So how are things with you and Alex?" Ellington asked.

"Not very good. She was hanging out with this guy, Brenden yesterday. I kind of… Overreacted and got a tiny bit jealous. I thought she might have left me for him."

"So what happened?"

"Alex was mad because she couldn't believe I thought she might have been cheating on me. And I know she would never do that, but… I just… I don't know…"

"So are you guys still a couple?"

"I honestly don't know."

"Well what are you going to do?"

"I don't know. Maybe if I give her some time, things can get back to how they were."

"Well you're not doing anything tonight, so why don't you take her out to dinner or something?"

"No. I'm actually going to go to a party I think."

"A party? Where? For who?"

"I met this guy at a gas station I stopped at-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, wait. You're going to a party for some guy you met at a gas station?"

"Well… He said he'd heard our music, and he knew who I was. He invited me to come to his party tonight. It's for his birthday. He said that it'd be awesome if I came, and it would make his birthday special. He also told me to invite you guys."

"I'm not going to some party for a guy you met at a gas station," said Ellington.

"I'm not either," said Rocky.

"Yeah, and I don't think Ross, Rydel, or Ryland are going to want to go either. Riker, I really don't think you should go to this party."

"Why not? It might be the best party I ever go to."

"Or it might be the worst. You should just stay here, and not risk it."

"I can do whatever I want. I'm 18."

"Riker-"

"I'm going to that party!"

"Fine. But if something bad happens, don't say I didn't warn you."

 **Alex POV**

Ugh. It had been about an hour now since I had woken up. I could breathe a little better, but I still felt awful. To make it even worse, it was really hot outside. Hot, sunny, and humid. Great…

All of a sudden, my phone started ringing. I answered it, trying not to sound too terribly sick.

"Hello?"

"Alex? This is Ross."

"Hey Ross."

"Are you ok?"

"I'm sick. What were you calling for?"

"Well Rocky just told me about some party Riker's going to tonight. I wanted to see if you could talk him out of it."

"I don't think so Ross. He and I aren't really… On good terms at the moment… I'm sorry."

"It's ok. Are you sure _you're_ ok though?"

"Yeah. I'm just sick."

"What's wrong?"

"My head hurts, my throat hurts, and I can't breathe very well."

"Do you need anything?"

"I don't think so, but thanks."

"Are you sure? I could come over and help you with stuff."

Was this because he cared, or because he likes me? Hmmm. Well either way, it'd be better having him here than being alone all day. Why not?

"Ok, thanks Ross."

"No problem. I'll be there in 5 minutes."

"Ok. Bye."

Well this would be interesting…

 **Later…**

 **Riker POV**

"Stop trying to talk me out of it, Rocky!"

"Riker, it's not a good idea!"

"Well then you don't have to go."

"I'm not! And you shouldn't either."

"No. You know what? I'm going to that party. I'm going to prove you wrong. Nothing bad is going to happen."

"Riker-"

"If I'm not back by noon tomorrow, then, you can start worrying. But guess what? Nothing. Is going. TO HAPPEN!"

 **Alex POV**

"Do you need anything else?" Ross asked.

"Yeah. Can you shut the sun off?"

"Well no. But I'll get a fan. I know. It's really hot today. I'll be right back."

"Thanks Ross."

Well I wasn't feeling much better since this morning. But having Ross here was definitely better than being alone.

"Ok. I got the fan. Now, do you want to talk about what's going on with you and Riker?"

"Well, I don't know. Did he tell you anything?"

"Yeah. Last night when he came home, he told me a little."

"Yeah… I don't know. You know, I really thought it was going to be the end for us when he wouldn't text me back, and I hardly ever saw him. But then things started going good again. Now… I don't know. Maybe it _is_ the end for us."

"Do you still love him though?"

"Well yeah, but… We just keep having problems. Summer just started, and so far, it's going horribly! Now what's all this about him going to a party?"

"He met some guy who apparently was a fan of his. He invited him to his birthday party tonight. We just don't think it's a good idea for him to go, but since he's 18, he can do whatever he wants."

"Yeah… I see… Well, if it blows up in his face, that's his problem. I'm tired of him making mistakes. It's so frustrating."

"So you're not going to talk him out of going?"

"No. If he wants to go, I'll let him go."

Ross sighed.

"I'm sorry Ross. I'm just mad at him, and I'm sick, and it's hot. I don't have the energy to fight with him right now."

"It's ok. I understand."

"What time is his party at?"

"It starts at 9:30. Riker said he'd be home by noon tomorrow. That's the part I don't like. I don't like the thought of him partying all night long at the house of some guy he just met."

"Do you have his address?"

"Yeah. Riker wrote it down for mom."

"Well if anything _does_ happen, we could always just go get him."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"I'm sure everything will be fine Ross."

 **Later…**

 **Alex POV**

Ross was nice enough to bring me over some of the dinner his mom had made. My parents had come home early and saw Ross here. However, my dad could obviously see I was sick. And since Ross was about 2 years younger than me, and he was taking care of me, my dad let him stay. He just didn't want to have to deal with his sick daughter. Whatever… I'm used to it…

"So Rocky just texted me. Riker left for the party."

"Great for him…"

"Do you think he'll be ok?"

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Ross."

"Ok… Well it's getting kind of late. It's almost 10:00. I think I'm going to head home."

"Ok. Thanks for taking care of me today."

"You're welcome."

"Bye Ross."

"Bye Alex."

 **12:30 AM**

 **Alex POV**

Ok, I'll admit it. I was a little worried. I'd been sitting at my window, waiting for Riker to come home, and he wasn't. It was getting later and later. I don't know why he would stay there until the next morning. That would be ridiculous.

By the time it was 1:00, I was freaking out. I had tried texting him. 17 times! He wasn't responding to any of them. I snuck out the front door, and went across the street.

"Alex? What are you doing here?"

"Rocky, Riker won't answer any of my texts. I need the address of the party."

"Ok, let me get it."

"Thanks."

"Call me if anything's wrong, ok?"

"I will. Thanks Rocky."

I jumped in my car, and headed to the place of the party.

Something told me what I was about to find, wouldn't be good.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

I had finally arrived at the party. I walked up to the front door, and some guy greeted me.

"Are you here to party!?"

"No. I'm here to pick up my boyfriend."

"Who's your boyfriend?"

"Riker Lynch?"

"Oh… Yeah… Uh… I think he's still on the floor behind the couch."

"WHAT!?"

I pushed past the guy and ran inside. Sure enough, I found Riker right where the guy had said. He was lying on the ground behind the couch.

"Riker!? What happened!? Get up!"

I pulled Riker into a sitting position. He looked at me with a strange expression on his face.

"Alex. Where are we?"

Riker's words were all slurred together. I could barely make out what he was trying to say.

"God Riker, you're drunk."

"Wha…?"

"Come on. We need to go home."

"We _are_ home."

"No we're not! Get up!"

"Whoa… Everything's moving!"

"No it's not! You're drunk! Come on. We need to go home."

"You want me to drive you?"

"No! You're _not_ driving!"

"I brought a car."

"You brought your brother's car. He can get it in the morning."

I pulled Riker over to the front door where the guy that greeted me was still standing.

"Did he know he was drinking alcohol?"

"Probably not."

"Why'd you let him drink it?"

"Listen, I'm just the door opener. I don't do anything else!"

"Well then do your job and open the door so we can leave!"

"Ok, but here, take my number. Call me."

"I'm not going to call you!"

I pulled Riker out the door, and stopped. Stairs… Oh boy… This'll be fun…

"Riker. You have to be really careful now, ok? Just move slowly."

Yeah… That didn't end up happening… Riker took one giant step forward, completely missed the step, and went tumbling down to the ground.

"UGH! Riker! Are you ok?"

"Everything's spinning so fast!"

"Get up. We're going home."

"You want me to drive?"

"YOU'RE NOT DRIVING, RIKER!"

"WHY ARE YOU TALKING SO LOUD!?"

Oh. My. Gosh. Could this night get any worse? It was like I had a toddler to look after. One really big, stupid toddler. And on top of that, I was sick!

"Ok, be careful getting in. Don't hit your head."

"I can get in a car, Alex. What do you think I am? 5?"

Well you're acting like it!

I closed Riker's door, locked it, and buckled his seatbelt for him before leaving. This was going to be a long night… I was planning on taking him home with me. Not bringing him home to his family. As mad as I was at him, I felt bad for him. And I knew there would be a bunch of I told you so's from his siblings. And his parents wouldn't be too happy with him either. He was only 18. He couldn't legally drink yet!

"You look really pretty."

"Thank you."

"Your boyfriend must be really lucky."

"Riker. _You're_ my boyfriend."

"I am? Wow…"

Yup. He was right. Wow… And he _was_ really lucky. Lucky I was saving him from getting busted by his parents.

"What's this?" Riker asked, pointing to a button that controlled the AC.

"Don't touch it."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

So of course he had to touch it. I shut the AC off again.

"Riker. Don't touch anything."

Apparently that was extremely hilarious because Riker started laughing uncontrollably.

"Riker."

"What?"

"Do you remember what you drank tonight?"

"Yes."

"What did you drink?"

"I asked this guy for a soda, so he got me one."

"How many sodas did you drink?"

"I don't know."

"Ugh."

"You're really pretty."

"Thank you, Riker."

"Where are we going?"

"To my house."

"Why?"

"Because you're drunk, and if I bring you back to your house, you'll get in trouble."

"Your voice sounds weird."

"I'm sick."

"Oh."

We finally made it back to my house. I unlocked Riker's door, unbuckled his seatbelt, and helped him get out. I tried my best to close the car doors as quietly as I could. The last thing I needed was for my dad to catch me doing this.

"Ok Riker. You need to be really quiet, ok?"

"Yes. I will be very quiet."

"Good. Otherwise you could get us both in big trouble. And that would be bad."

"Ok. I will be very quiet."

I walked Riker down the walkway to my house, and silently unlocked the door. Once we were inside, I relocked the door. I held onto Riker's hand as we walked slowly over to the basement door. I silently twisted the doorknob.

"Ok Riker, you need to be really careful. We're going to go down there. Ok?" I whispered.

"Yes."

Riker and I successfully got onto the first step. I closed the basement door and turned on the lights. 15 more steps to go.

"Hold onto my hand and the railing. Ok?"

"Yes."

Thankfully, we made it down the stairs without anything happening. But it took us 10 minutes.

My basement had a couch, some boxes, random junk, and a bathroom in it. I sat Riker down on the couch.

"What are we going to do now?" Riker whispered.

"You, are going to go to sleep."

"What are you going to do?"

"I, am going to make sure you go to sleep."

"Oh. Ok."

"Now Riker, I'm going to go upstairs to get some pillows and blankets. I need you to promise me that you'll stay exactly where you are, and not move an inch. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes I can Alex."

"Good. I'll be right back."

I didn't really trust drunk Riker to stay still and not make noise, so I hurried up the stairs as quietly as I could. I went into my bedroom, grabbed some pillows, blankets, and my phone before heading back downstairs.

Surprisingly, I found Riker in the same spot I had left him. He was sitting there happily with his hands folded in his lap, looking at me with a smile on his face.

I put a pillow down on the couch.

"Lay down."

"Why?"

"You're going to go to bed now."

"Ok. I'm really tired."

"Good. You should be."

Riker laid down on the couch. I spread some blankets over him before making my own bed on the ground next to the couch.

Within minutes, I could tell Riker was asleep. I laid down on the ground. There was no way I would be falling asleep anytime soon. I had a headache, and I was concerned about my boyfriend.

After about 45 minutes, Riker woke up again.

"Alex."

"Riker, what's wrong?"

"I don't feel good."

"Come on. You might throw up."

"Where are we going?"

"The bathroom."

I pulled Riker up from the couch and walked him to the bathroom. I sat down next to him in front of the toilet. Almost immediately, he started throwing up. I found a headband and pulled his hair away from his face for him. After about 20 minutes of Riker puking, he was finally finished. I dragged him back to the couch after telling him he was not allowed to sleep on the bathroom floor. He fell asleep pretty quickly again, and by now, I was really tired. I fell asleep quickly as well.

 **The Next Morning…**

 **Alex POV**

I woke up when I heard my parents leave for work. It was probably around 7:00. I looked over at Riker. He was still sleeping. I turned my phone on. I had a bunch of texts and missed calls from multiple Lynchs and Ellington. I decided to just text Rocky, and tell him Riker was fine, and had stayed at my house last night because he didn't want to wake anyone up.

When I looked up from my phone, Riker was staring at me with his hand on his forehead.

"Hey," I said softly.

"My head is killing me."

"Yeah. I bet it is. Do you remember anything that happened last night?"

I could tell he totally didn't, but was trying really hard to remember.

"No… I don't…"

"You went to a party…?"

"Oh yeah. I went to a party for this guy. Uh… Then what? Why don't I remember anything?"

"Wow. Uh well…"

"What happened, Alex?"

"You were drunk, Riker."

"I was what!?"

"You were drunk."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Wait, are you sick?"

"Yes, I am."

"So what happened last night?"

"I tried texting you, you wouldn't answer anything, and I was worried."

"I thought you were mad at me."

"I am! And I hate myself for loving you so much! Rocky gave me the address of your party, and I drove there. You were lying on the ground, drunk. I drove you here, and brought you downstairs in my basement for the night."

"Why?"

"Because your parents would totally kill you if they found out you were drinking!"

"Oh. But I don't remember drinking…?"

"You probably didn't know you were. The guy in charge of the drinks probably put some in your drink without you knowing."

"Oh. What else happened?"

"Well, on your way out of the house, you fell down the stairs. And you also woke up in the middle of the night and threw up a bunch of times."

"Wow…Ugh my head is killing me!"

"Here. I'll go get you something for it."

"Thanks Alex."

I ran up the stairs, came back downstairs, and handed Riker 2 pills and a glass of water.

"Do my brothers know?"

"No. I didn't tell them. They've all been calling and texting me like crazy though. I texted Rocky back and told him you stayed here for the night because you didn't want to wake him up since we got back really late."

"Thanks. Let's not tell anyone about this."

"Ok."

"Thanks for doing all that Alex. My parents would've killed me if they'd found out I was drunk. But… Why _did_ you do it?"

"Why'd I do what?"

"Save me from last night. Aren't you still mad?"

"Of course I'm still mad. But I still love you, and I didn't want you to get in trouble _or_ arrested! And don't you think it would be bad to see yourself on the cover of a magazine, with a story about you at that party getting drunk!?"

"Yeah. I just… That's crazy… I can't believe you did all that for me. And you're sick."

"Believe me. I really didn't want to. I felt awful all day yesterday. Ross actually came over yesterday to take care of me. But I love you, and I didn't want anything to happen to you."

"Well thanks."

"You're welcome."

"And I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry about thinking you would cheat on me, and I'm sorry for going to that party and making you come get me. Rocky and Ellington told me it would be a bad idea, and I didn't listen."

"Well you know what? This is the kind of situation that boyfriends and girlfriends are for, getting each other out of trouble."

"So you're still my girlfriend?"

"For now…"

"Yes!"


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **Riker POV**

My head was killing me…

"So what do we do now? Are your parents home?"

"No. They left for work. As for what we do now, uh… Probably wait until you feel better. I don't think you should go home with an intense headache. Your family might be suspicious."

"Ok."

"But as for me, I'm going to go upstairs and take something to make me feel better."

I felt so bad! I should've been the one to take care of her. Not Ross. She shouldn't have had to come save me last night, especially since she was sick.

Alex came back downstairs.

"Do you need anything? I don't know what would make you feel better. I haven't ever drank alcohol, _or_ been drunk, obviously, so I don't know what else I should do for you."

"I don't really know what to do either. I've never done anything like this before."

"Well you didn't exactly know you were doing it."

"Well that's true… But still. I've never done something dangerous before like go to the party of some guy I met at a gas station. That was really stupid."

"So then why'd you do it?"

"I guess… I was trying to take my mind off the fact that you were mad at me. I seriously thought it was over between us."

"I did too."

"So… why…?"

"Ugh Riker, because I love you. I love you too much to break up with you, I just couldn't."

I smiled. Yay!

"So you _do_ love me!"

"Of course I love you Riker. Ever since I found your band on YouTube, I've loved you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. And I always especially loved you. There was something about you that was different. I don't know. It might be your voice… Your musicality… The look you get on your face when something scary happens… The way you act around me because you're so in love with me… Maybe it's all of those things. When you moved in next door, I totally freaked out. The celebrity I'd dreamt about meeting was living across the street from me. And then when you told me you loved me… I almost lost it. I was always nervous about having a boyfriend. You know I thought it wasn't going to work out. Especially because you're 2 years older than me. After everything we've been through, it's definitely been crazy being your girlfriend. But I still love you, and I always will. I don't want you to ever leave me."

"I won't. I promise. You don't know how much I love you. Whenever I'm around you, I always get a little bit nervous because I love you so much. I'm just glad to hear that you still love me."

"That's so cute."

"I love you Alex."

"I love you too Riker."

Alex came over, sat on my lap, and gave me hug.

"I really do love you Riker."

"I know that now. I love you too Alex."

I leaned in and kissed her, and it still felt like magic.

 **The End.**

 **Thanks for reading. And again, special thanks to** ** _ravenclawonder_** **for reviewing. It means so much to me. I'm doing the sequel to** ** _Unexpected_** **next because that story is still fresh in my brain. However, I have finals coming up, so over the next 2 weeks, my chapters might be uploaded randomly. And over the summer, I'll be away at my summer house in the Adirondacks. It doesn't have internet, but I'll go into town and upload as much as I possibly can because I love doing this. Thanks again for reading. Look for my sequel to** ** _Unexpected_** **. It will be called** ** _94 Days is a Long Time to Wait_** **. 3 Kylie**


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